Chipotle Becomes the First Restaurant to Release a Menu Item in the Metaverse

On September 13, Chipotle announced that it’s releasing a flavorful new addition to the permanent menu called Garlic Guajillo Steak. The garlic and guajillo pepper steak will be available for in-restaurant, mobile, and online delivery in the U.S. and Canada, but also in the metaverse, making Chipotle the first restaurant chain to introduce a menu item digitally and physically.

New Item on the Menu

The limited-time Garlic Guajillo Steak boasts the best of both garlic and pepper worlds, alongside tender cuts of steak that leave no one wanting. And while there’s much to be said about the delicacy that is the latest entrant on Chipotle’s permanent menu, it’s better left to the taste buds to judge the steak’s merits. Fresh lime and carefully chopped cilantro certainly won’t disappoint.

Nevielle Panthaky, Vice President of Culinary, stated that Garlic Guajillo Steak is an attempt at accommodating their guests’ appetites for bold-flavored food and new tastes.

Venturing into the Metaverse

While Garlic Guajillo Steak is newsworthy in itself, Chipotle’s venture into the metaverse is the most groundbreaking. The steak made its debut in the US, Canada, and — Roblox. The global game platform has 43.2 million daily active users, making it the perfect digital marketing venue for Chipotle’s latest delicacy. That, and the fact that Chipotle has already built its presence on the platform thanks to the Burrito Builder.

The Chipotle Grill Simulator, which allowed gamers to learn how to make their own burritos, now also contains the Garlic Guajillo Steak ingredients and grilling instructions. Players can cut, mix, season, and grill their steaks in-game and learn how to taste and savor them properly.

Players who logged in and made their own Roblox steaks on September 13th and 14th at 7 AM PT and 3 PM PT got free entrée codes for a real-world Guajillo Steak meal at Chipotle. For two days, Chipotle handed out 100,000 of these codes to Chipotle Rewards members in the U.S. and Canada.

Winning Over Gen Z (and Millennials)

While Chipotle isn’t the first restaurant to set its eyes on the lucrative metaverse, it’s the first to release a menu item virtually and have a digital chef teach players how to make a steak. It’s a move that’s bound to go over well with Gen Z, who are the primary inhabitants of metaverses, and a growing size of the U.S. workforce.

That’s not the end of festivities surrounding the addition of Garlic Guajillo Steak to the menu. Garlic Guajillo Steak orders placed through the Chipotle app, Chipotle.com and Chipotle.ca from September 17 through 25 come with no delivery fee.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has always been about responsibly-sourced food made with real, preservative-free ingredients and is the only chain that owns and operates all of its restaurants.